Last Wednesday evening a portion of a historic Lapeer building — The Tuttle House — at the northeast corner of North Main and State streets erupted into flames and thick plumes of black smoke that was visible from several miles away. The sounds of sirens filled the air for what seemed like an hour. Within minutes video and pictures taken on smartphones by curious onlookers were on social media showing flames shooting 30 feet in the air from a corner of the house that now serves as a dermatology and cosmetic medical care office. The fire initially looked bad, it looked like it had the potential to spread through and engulf the entire three-story structure — and possibly spread to a neighboring house only 20 feet or so to the north. But it didn’t. A quick and methodical response by well-trained firefighters from three departments quickly knocked down the most intense flames and saved the structure from becoming a complete loss.